Why do I have to keep replacing my front bearings?

No wheel spacers just a spacer at the top of the shock. And no wheels do not stick out much. I did speak to the company of the lift and they said it shouldn't have anything to do with the bearings as its a minor lift kit? I honestly do not know that much i am trying to learn so i am not getting taken advantage of from mechanics. So far Toyota and Kia dealership mechanics agree this is not normal and can't understand why this keeps happening so i feel at a loss and trying to do my own investigation!

 

The rims are still stock toyota rims

 

Since i have owned it i have put 90,000 kms on it and front bearings have been done 3 times and its going to a different shop on Friday to have my front end inspected and a wheel alignment done

 

Weird I'm on stock bearings and I'm liften with 17x 8.5 -6 offset wheels with 33s and my bearings are still fine

 

It's definitely weird for sure and really hope i can figure out an underlying cause of this..I love my truck and paid quite abit for it. I would love to not have to keep replacing bearings and getting wheel alignments every year

 

I bought some pre built wheel bearing assemblies from a guy on this forum, he builds them. I took them in to get installed and the 4x4 shop here charged me 2 hours labour total for it, $240 CDN, that seemed fair to me as I had bought the hubs somewhere else.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/wheel-bearings-hubs-press-service-4x4-prerunner.537080/

 

Thank you!!

 

I've been rolling on the cheapest Chinese bearings for the past 3 years, somethings wack with your truck. Or the installer?

 

Yes not sure..same place has been doing the work. I am going to get the work done elsewhere now that the warranty is up. See what happens

 

I am just trying to figure out if something else is wrong which is causing this bearing issue and wheel alignment issue. So i can fix the actual problem

 

Welcome to TW

Perhaps the seal on the CV axle is bad where it's mates to the seal on the back of the spindle. Maybe they didn't grease the mating surfaces of the seal before assembly. Or the O ring is damaged.

As for the alignment, that could be the adjusters seized in the lower control arm bushings. When loose, they should spin with relative ease. This is a common problem with these trucks and when I did mine, they got painted with anti seize.

Good luck in getting it straightened out.

 

Thank you i will definitely mention these things for them to check when it goes in!

 

your alignment issue could be just bad wheel bearings.

Wheel bearings are designed to function correctly warm. if your not driving a long ways in bad weather this could lead to rust in the bearings (you said lots of rain) then they destroy themselves.
also for the bearings to function properly the CV shaft must be tight at the knuckle. if the nut backs off you will lose preload in your bearings and they will get sloppy. sloppy bearings fail much quicker. that nut should
be pinned or crimped somehow. if the tech installing them didnt seat the shaft correctly the nut may not have been properly tightened. - i have personally had this happen in a honda civic.

most bearing are sealed rather well. most failures to bearings are due to improper installation, rather than contaminates. not to be sounding dumb but it the bearing is installed backwards (not sure if possible on a taco) it will definitely fail quickly. also if the shop is beating them in they will not last.

a lift will damage your shafts not wheel bearings. if its one side i would inspect the knuckle where it all goes together.

i would as others state find a different place. would have suggested that after the second set.

good luck

 

Thank you!

 

What was initial indication of bearing problem? Noise? is it possible the tire wear/noise is the issue and the dealer (not being tire savy) is chalking it up to bearings?

If it was bearings, I'd suspect they didn't clean out all the old grease/grime before installing new ones. Should be washed out with parts washer to get all the old metal chunks/dirt out. But could that happen 2-3 times? Hmm, possibly if same tech was the one redoing each warranty work.

You can confirm for yourself if its bearings by jacking up the front end, grabbing the spring or control arm with one hand, then spin the tire fast with the other hand. If its bearings, you'll feel grinding/vibration in the hub/spring area. If not bearings, it will be smooth. Can also drive down the road and weave left and right, shifting veh weight from side to side. If noise changes, it bearings.

If they continue to fail, something is bent. Either what the bearing is around (axle), or what is around the bearing (hub).

Have you asked for the old parts back at any time? Should on the next one. Dirt and shit will cause pits in the bearing surfaces. Over heating will cause burn marks/discoloration in the bearing surfaces. Dirt is from stupidity, heat is from something bent/installed wrong.

 

Yes initially it was the noise and upon inspection they said it was the bearings. It did have new tires when i bought it and i also have replaced the tires. I will check out what you have suggested. And have the axel and hubs checked out as well. Thank you very much!

 

Suggest to bail on the Kia dealer.

Haul the truck to Toyota, detail the history and symptoms to them. Don't tell them what you suspect is wrong. Just history and symptoms. Let them diagnose and quote the repair.
Once you have the quote, then you are in a position to ask why a specific task /item is needed. When you are happy with the diagnosis and solution, then approve the repair. Upon completion, ask for the old parts. Compare the removed parts with the replaced parts on the invoice and quote. Ask your questions before you pay.

Good Luck. There is definitely a problem in there somewhere. Even the "cheap" parts should last longer.

 

@OZ-T this likely closer to your neck of the woods than any other member. Can you recommend a "local" reputable private Toyota shop for this work? Girl is at wit's end.

 

Gotta be being installed incorrect .

Some Mechanics can even mess this job up.

I can`t wait to see how this plays out

Ok what are the odds of getting 3 sets of sub par bearings on one truck.

Starters Alternators I could understand as I had it happen

 

I will update Friday after it goes in for the front end inspection. Hopefully get some answers. Guess i will have to wait a year and see if they are messed up again ugh hopefully just get to the bottom of it with this new shop.